Current News

LANSING, MI
December 4, 2008 – State Senator Tupac Hunter has sponsored a bill that will expand the Individual or Family Development Account Program to help families save for qualified home improvements. The program was created in 2006 to give low-income earners the opportunity to save for a home, college education, or a business and receive matching funds from public or private sources. “This is a good program that helps individuals and families improve their lives,” said Hunter. “Expanding the program will give people a better chance to save for what they need, and increase the value of their home by purchasing and installing energy efficient products.”
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TALLAHASSEE, FL
November 26, 2008 -- The Tallahassee City Commission unanimously approved a plan to help Tallahassee’s neediest residents. The Good Neighbor Program will use money leftover from a former contractual dispute to provide utility bill assistance and help with making homes more energy efficient. "It's really the difference between just giving someone a fish and actually teaching them to fish," said Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Gillum.
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LOS ANGELES, CA
November 21, 2008 -- The L.A. City Council has voted to draft a law that will ban banks and financial institutions from evicting renters whose landlords have lost their buildings due to foreclosure. Council President Eric Garcetti, who proposed these new protections, believes this will prevent further destabilization of neighborhoods already struggling from foreclosures. "This is a crisis that requires immediate action," he said.
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BEVERLY, MA
July 4, 2008 -- State Representatives Mark Falzone and Kathi-Anne Reinstein announced that the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously approved a sweeping energy reform bill. This landmark legislation aims to reduce the Commonwealth’s dependency on foreign energy and have utility companies increase their production of cleaner, renewable energy. This will help consumers make drastic cost savings, create a healthier environment, and create new job opportunities.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA
July 3, 2008 -- Efforts to fold a youth employment tax credit for businesses and nonprofit organizations into Pennsylvania's new budget have fallen short, but the measure could pass as a standalone bill in the fall, its author said. State Representative Josh Shapiro designed the Youth Employment Incentive Tax Credit to allow companies and nonprofits that provide internships for lower-income people ages 14 to 21 to apply for tax credits totaling 70 percent of the expenses (such as wages, fringe benefits and training) related to those internships. “If you want to help young people stay off the streets, the best way to do it is with education and job opportunities and this does both,” said State Representative Josh Shapiro, who added such internships could even help curb youth violence.
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ST. LOUIS, MOZ
June 30, 2008 -- Missouri college students could pay less for textbooks under a new state law that requires publishers to disclose wholesale prices of books to professors. Publishers also are to point out changes that have been made from a textbook's previous editions. The idea is for professors to be able to compare book content and choose books that are still relevant to their classes, but more affordable. Professors will be able to see whether a book's used, earlier edition has the same content as a newer version. Governor Matt Blunt signed the Textbook Transparency Act into law last week. Democratic Representative Jake Zimmerman, the law's sponsor, says his measure won't help the price of new textbooks but could give students and their instructors more ways to save money.
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NEWARK, DE
June 28, 2008 -- Article by City Councilman Ezra Temko. As the current legislative session draws to a close, we feel compelled to share our perspective on issues affecting Newark. We are excited that Delaware is making an investment in wind power. This is the right choice environmentally and economically. From peak oil to global warming, there are unsustainable premiums being paid for fossil fuels. Our municipalities will be the first in the nation to sign an offshore wind power agreement. We welcome Bluewater Wind to our state. Welcoming to Delaware a green technology-driven industry such as Bluewater Wind will help to transform our transitioning economy into one that builds upon exploration, innovation and sustainability.
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OAKLAND COUNTY, MI
June 27, 2008 -- With several Oakland County communities already designated "Cool Cities" by the Sierra Club, one county commissioner is hoping to take it one step further by making Oakland a "Cool County" in part through new "green" building standards. A completely different program from Gov. Jennifer Granholm's 2003 initiative to revitalize Michigan's cities to retain young workers, County Commissioner David Woodward introduced the proposal June 19. "In a county of our size, a major county in the country, I feel there's a way we can all contribute," Woodward said. "We should really be a part of the solution in confronting global warming and climate change that is before us."
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AUGUSTA, ME
State Representative and Majority Leader Hannah Pingree was featured by CBS News:

PITTSBURGH, PA
June 24, 2008 -- With environmental leaders in tow, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl last week expanded the city’s green efforts with a $100,000 dollar check for a new trust fund that will further Pittsburgh’s position as one of the nation’s “top green cities.” “Though we’ve already made great strides in reducing our city’s carbon footprint, the creation of this green fund demonstrates how serious city government is about being green,” Mayor Ravenstahl said. “Whether it’s greening dozens of vacant lots, running diesel engines with clean-burning bio-diesel, or retrofitting traffic lights to make them more energy efficient, we have the momentum it takes to take this city to the next level of green.”
Read More. http://www.sopghreporter.com/lukeravenstahl

PITTSBURGH, PA
June 23, 2008 -- The state House is expected to vote this week on a measure that would require the state's pension funds to divest from companies doing business in Iran and Sudan, both of which are on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist regimes. Deputy Speaker Josh Shapiro began the effort proposing divestment in all countries on the State Department's list, which includes North Korea and Syria. But Shapiro, the sponsor, said he was able to garner the most support by targeting Sudan and Iran. "We need to use the economic power of the commonwealth to isolate our enemies and support our allies," Shapiro said.
Read More. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_574068.html

PITTSBURGH, PA
June 22, 2008 -- Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signed legislation creating a new domestic partner registry in the city of Pittsburgh. The mayor signed the measure Saturday during the city's Gay Pride Parade downtown. "We're going to continue to look for ways to make sure that Pittsburgh is a progressive city - a city that's growing and a city that can be America's most livable city, for everybody," Ravenstahl said. The measure allows straight or gay couples who are city residents to gain official recognition of their relationships and to use the registration as criteria for sharing benefits.
Read More. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/16679607/detail.html

Past News Stories

SACRAMENTO, CA

June 19, 2008 -- State Assemblyman Tony Mendoza wants the state to provide textbooks specifically to serve students who are just learning English. The bill, AB 2135, took another step toward passage when the state Senate Education Committee voted 6-3 to approve it, sending it to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Assembly approved the bill on a 46-30 vote in May. "I am extremely pleased that my colleagues in the Senate see the need for additional core curriculum for students that are transitioning into English as their primary language," said Mendoza.

Read More.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_9630058

CORYDON, IN

June 18, 2008 -- Indiana State Representative Dennie Oxley has been chosen to be the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jill Long Thompson. In an announcement made Monday during a trip that included several Indiana cities, Thompson called Oxley a "perfect fit." Oxley, a native of Crawford County, began his career as a teacher and administrator for the Crawford County Community School Corp. and now works as a project coordinator with the Indianapolis engineering firm Beam, Longest and Neff LLC. “It's a great honor to be asked to be a part of this team," Oxley said Monday. "I'm excited about the opportunity. Our economy is lagging. Gas prices, health care costs and home foreclosures are at an all-time high. We have to start growing our economy.”

Read More.

http://www.corydondemocrat.com/Thompson_picks_Oxley_as_running_mate.html

LAFAYETTE, IN

June 14, 2008 -- Three-day weekends could become the norm for county employees if a plan being explored by the Tippecanoe County Commissioners moves forward. County Assessor Samantha Steele said she thinks it's a progressive idea for the county that could help cut costs. She believes offering longer hours on four days each week could help the residents who need to get in and visit her office. "Taxpayers who work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. don't have a time to come in, unless they have the privilege of having an hour lunch, which many don't," Steele said. "And even then, having to drive across town and back again takes up their entire lunch hour."

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http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/NEWS02/806140327

SANTA CRUZ, CA

June 11, 2008 -- The Santa Cruz City Hall Courtyard will be available for same-sex marriages June 17 from 5-8 p.m., Santa Cruz Mayor Ryan Coonerty announced in a press release. June 17 is the first day that same-sex couples will be eligible to be married under the California Supreme Court’s ruling last month. “This is a major civil rights moment in the history of our country and I am glad that the city can play a small part,” Coonerty said.

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http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=&story_id=4644

LOS ANGELES, CA

May 30, 2008 – Already barred from lighting up in restaurants, theaters and the office, Californians may also be banned from smoking in their apartments under a proposal passed by the state Senate on Thursday. The measure would allow landlords to prohibit smoking in apartment buildings they own to protect nonsmoking tenants from secondhand smoke. "This year, consumer protection bills are getting an added emphasis, given the limitations presented by the budget," said State Senator Alex Padilla. Padilla is the author of SB 1598, which would permit landlords to impose the smoking ban. California already prohibits smoking in many public places, including playgrounds, concert halls and some beaches. "While we have championed the efforts to protect adults in the workplace and bars, we have done very little in this state to protect children and their families in their own homes," Padilla told his colleagues. He said his bill would "increase the availability of smoke-free housing in California."

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-smoke30-2008may30,0,4402494.story

ATLANTA, GA

May 27, 2008 – Article by State Representative Rob Teilhet. You get what you pay for. The recent news that Georgia students' scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests were significantly below what is expected only serves to underscore the simple, difficult truth. Our schools are falling further and further behind, and our students are becoming increasingly unprepared to become productive citizens in the future. Why can our elected officials not deliver on the simplest promises to our students? I believe that our problems with education can be traced to one significant cause.

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http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2008/05/27/crcted.html

NEW YORK, NY

May 26, 2008 -- A new city proposal aims to give veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan more than just a parade. City Councilman Eric Gioia is recommending a new program that would guarantee paid municipal internships to all vets coming home from active duty. He's calling on city agencies to hold existing internship positions open and to create others as needed to give the men and women in uniform a fair shot at a city job. "I want them to know they do have an option, that this is something they can come back to," said Gioia.

Read More.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05262008/news/regionalnews/hold_city_jobs_for_vets__pol_112576.htm

SANTA BARBARA, CA

May 22, 2008 -- On Thursday, May 15, the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriage, making headlines across the globe and attracting praise from the more than 108,000 Golden State households that are registered as gay. “Today, I am proud of the State of California and its Supreme Court,” Santa Barbara City Councilmember Helene Schneider said to loud applause. “They say June is a great month to get married, and that is certainly going to be true this June.”

Read More.

http://www.independent.com/news/2008/may/22/same-sex-marriage-ban-overturned-california-suprem/

CAMPBELL, CA

MTV News features YEO and City Councilman Evan Low: